Bradley and his then-girlfriend, Andria Kerchner, 22, were stopped on March 6, 2012 by Pill, a 30-year law enforcement veteran following reports of a motel robbery.

The staff at an EconoLodge reported the two were trying to steal furniture from one of the motel rooms, authorities said.

Unbeknownst to Pill, Bradley and Kerchner both had long criminal histories, according to Sheriff J. R. "Jack" Parker. Bradley spent time in prison for violent felonies and had four pending warrants for his arrest at the time of the shooting, Parker said.

Bradley refused to obey Pill's commands to get out of his car. Pill got on her radio, and was calling for back-up when officers listening to the radio transmission and neighbors reported hearing the multiple gunshots that killed her, the sheriff said.

Kerchner testified as part of a plea deal in January under which she was sentenced to 12 years in prison, court records show.

By the time Pill's back-up arrived, the pair had fled. They were caught after a Melbourne police officer threw stop sticks in the road and caused their car to careen into a ditch.

Parker described Pill, who also worked in law enforcement in Miami Dade as "one of the kindest, nicest people you'd ever want to meet."